New Jersey has become the first state to award a Black woman with a cannabis license.
Suzan Nickelson was awarded a medicinal dispensary license in the NJ RFP 2019 round and will open the first and only dispensary in Waterford, NY, according to a Benzinga report.
Named Holistic Solutions, the Alternative Treatment Center will provide care, resources and education to patients enrolled in the state’s Medicinal Cannabis Program. The facility spans 4,000 square feet and includes 11 POS stations, a private consultation room, on-site medical personnel and a drive-thru window.
“The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (“CRC”) has received and reviewed your application for a dispensary permit endorsement,” reads a statement from the state. “Following thorough review by the selection committee, and subject to the post-award accountability measures listed below, the CRC has awarded you a dispensary permit endorsement.”
The new dispensary will also carry a wide variety of THC and CBD products, including but not limited to flower, pre-rolls, edibles, tinctures, vaporizers, concentrates, ingestibles, topicals, and accessories, and is catered to promote women and BIPOC-owned cannabis brands.
“Like the women who raised me, I believe cannabis is a plant of reverence and spirituality that has been given to people to heal – however intentional stigmatization led to what we went through in the War on Drugs that disproportionately hurt entire communities of Black and brown people. This is what fueled me to work relentlessly to open the doors of Holistic Solutions,” Suzan Nickelson told Benzinga. “The women in my family passed down generational knowledge of working with various herbs for healing and spirituality to me, and I look forward to using that knowledge to run my own cannabis business so others can understand just how powerful this plant can be in a pursuit of wellness and healing.”
Holistic Solutions will launch a soft opening this week with limited hours until Feb. 9. Then on Feb. 10, the facility will open seven days a week, from 8:30 am – 9:00 pm Monday thru Saturday, and 10:00 am – 6:00 pm on Sundays.
